All Here

 

My one little word for 2012 has found me. I've been spending some of our days off pondering over 2011 - what I learned from last year's one little word and what changes I would like to make going forward. Twenty-eleven was a good year. We moved. We enjoyed (and still are!) an amazing and sweet baby boy. We have kept up with three wild and crazy girls. T has a great job that he continues to enjoy after celebrating ten years with the company this year. I haven't lost my mind or gone completely grey from being home with kids day after day after day. Last year's word was serve and in retrospect it suited perfectly as I continued to serve my family (both close and extended) and friends in new and hopefully better ways. Attempting to follow God's prompting in certain situations instead of my comfort level.


This year's word is: here. I want to focus on being more fully present wherever I am. This word has two parts to me: 


(1) More single-minded. If I'm hanging out with T, be here with him. If I'm with the kids, be  here with them. Not half-listening to little people chatter as my mind and/or hands do other things. Be fully present and active in the activity that I'm doing whether it's schooling little ones, drinking coffee with the guy, chatting with a friend, reading a book, working on housework ... and the list can go on. There is much time that I feel like know I wasted in 2011 by not giving 100%. Twenty-twelve won't be perfect, but it will be a step in the right direction towards changing that.

Fully here while making lunch for little people means sitting down to eat with them instead of standing at the counter.

And (2) be more me if that makes sense. It's too easy to not be all here when I want. To be quiet and let others carry the conversation. To not sit in silence and really think the deep, thinkerly hard thoughts that I avoid.    To really be here when I spend time with Jesus and then see how that plays out in my days.


All he wants is simply you - minus your good works, minus your perfect attendance, minus your politeness. When you really believe that, you may discover that all you want is Jesus. Not just to get to heaven or to help you be a good person or do the right thing, but to simply love and be loved by him.
-Emily P. Freeman, Grace for the Good Girl

My thoughts are jumbled, but I'm started to get that glimmer of what God might be trying to teach me and move me towards in the days ahead. Exciting. Scary. Pretty fabulous.

This is the deep part of my thoughts towards Twenty-Twelve and what I hope to see happen in the next twelve months. : ) I also have some pretty random ones that include learning how to really make bread this next year (with the exception of pizza crust which I have got down cold), losing all the baby weight (or take steps in that direction), and other happy projects.

Whatever may come, Twenty-Twelve is going to be a great year.

This is the day that the Lord has made

I will rejoice and be glad in it.